Route 66

[R W Burgess]

As promised I made a quick trip to the north of Oklahoma City this morning. The town I was looking for was Arcadia, 8-10 miles north east of Oklahoma City. The first site I came upon was this historic old barn....

[R W Burgess]

Road sign with barn info....

[R W Burgess]

We weren't the only ones on route 66 today!

[stock_steve]

Neat shots, Wayne. We drove Route 66 two summers ago, but for some reason we must've missed that cool round barn. In Oklahoma City, though, we did stop to see the Murrah site, and in the same general "downtown-type" area, there was a tiny triangular building in the middle of the road with a huge milk bottle on the top, where we got excellent sandwiches (believe it was run by a Vietnamese family). Another Oklahoma Rt. 66 attraction I remember stopping at along our trip was the "Blue Whale" in Catoosa. Anyway, I envy your being out there to experience more of the Mother Road. Have fun and drive carefully.

[R W Burgess]

Thanks Steve. The funny thing is, I was out here 2 years ago, when I moved the daughter here. I never even thought about Route 66. I just wanted to get the heck out of Dodge and back east where I belonged.

I thought it interesting that I had to really look for a "Mother Road" sign, most were the new models as below. I think I saw three old ones altogether. Granted I only drove about 25 miles today on 66!

[R W Burgess]

Another sign that tells a story!

[R W Burgess]

Not an old building, but their presence on route 66 is not lost on them.

[R W Burgess]

This building beside the round barn certainly looks old enough to be on route 66 in its heyday.

[R W Burgess]

I'm sure there are lots of these parts of highway 66, just like the ones that Joan spoke about in her Cord Tour!

[stock_steve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: R W Burgess</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm sure there are lots of these parts of highway 66, just like the ones that Joan spoke about in her Cord Tour! </div></div>

We met a local guy at "Ku Ku Burger" in Miami, OK, who, when we told him about our thirst to experience the maximum possible "authentic Route 66" along the way, personally led us to a nearby abandoned section like that, with gravel shoulders--appently you'd move halfway onto the shoulder when you saw someone coming the other way, but then move back to the center (hard paved part) when you were back "by yourself" on the road.

I'm itching for another Route 66 road trip!

[R W Burgess]

Self explanatory! It said Private..."Yes, I was one a long time ago!"

[R W Burgess]

Here's the now private owned route 66 highway! It was probably about a 1 1/2 long!

Wayne

[R W Burgess]

Earliest Store in the area!

[R W Burgess]

close-up

[R W Burgess]

Sign post at Store

[R W Burgess]

This description board was very hard to photograph. I'll decipher as I get a chance.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> This is one of the last old gas stations still standing in this part of the country. No one knows for sure, but it is thought to have been built in the late teens or early twenties. It had two pumps, one for regular gas and one ethyl, which was a little higher octane. Oil was dispensed from a 50 gallon drum, which was laid down on its side on a wooden frame. A spigot was put in the end of the drum, under which you put a quart can, then taken to your car and put in the motor.</div></div>

Wait, maybe you can read it better than I thought. Comments!!!????

[R W Burgess]

<span style="font-style: italic">A little more info from the Old Station on Route 66...... </span>

.....Back then, times were very hard and it was difficult to make a living. One day, about the time Al Capone was terrorizing the City of Chicago, a so-called salesman came by the station, offering to sell the owners a way to make a lot of money, literally, for he had a set of plates for a counterfeit ten dollar bill. The story goes that the people yielded to temptation, with the thought of being able to get rich quick.

A small room was constructed on the back of the old station for the purpose of hiding the printing materials and a place to work. The only entrance was through the window you see at the back of the station. The window had a solid wooden door, which was kept closed most of the time. People didn’t even know that there was a room back there.

The way the counterfeiting was done was that they would press one of the plates on a piece of paper with the green ink on it, then let that side dry 24 hours, and print the back side of the bill the next day. Things went along just fine for a time, but while passing one of the fake ten dollar bills, one of the persons was arrested, and with the identification on him where he lived, he was traced to the old station. While searching the building, the counterfeit plates were found. So ended the crime spree, like so many others. The person being taken to jail was overheard to say, “it wasn’t worth it”.

The old station was closed, never to open again. Many years later, which had nothing to do with the counterfeiting, a murder victim was found in the old abandoned building. The police were unable to determine whether he was killed there, or the body just dumped there. The victim was never identified, for he had no identification on him and no one seemed to know him.

The Owners-Rock of Ages Farm

[stock_steve]

Wayne, How about some info about why you were out on Route 66? What brought you out there? How long are you going to be in the area, or have you returned already? Before two years ago, I was totally ignorant about Route 66--but then along came the movie "Cars," followed closely by our taking a family cross-country drive, attempting to take in as much of Route 66 as possible--and now my interested has been piqued. Thanks again for sharing your experiences along the way.

[R W Burgess]

Steve, my daughter just got her Masters Degree in religion today at Oklahoma City University. Mom dragged me out for the ceremonies, but then I had checked the area out before because I knew that AACA Board Member, Joanna Cooper, was from Broken Arrow and spoke to her about Route 66.

We then get the "just in time" trip by Joan with their Cord (Driving our 1931 Cord L29 from Auburn, IN to CA and back) , really cool. It got my interest going again.

Wayne

[stock_steve]

Good for you, Wayne! And congrats on your daughter's very significant scholastic achievement also!

[Guest abh3usn]

Cool pictures. I looked in my Route 66 Lost & Found book the station's not in there.

There are similar stations and hotels along Route 17, 301 and US 1 here in VA. All three routes made up the Pines to Palms route from Maine to FL. I have a travel guide from 1937 that discribes the route. I'll try to post pictures in the future.

[Bill Stoneberg]

If you are going to be in Broken Arrow, make sure you go to the homespun Italian restaurants. Some of the best Italian food I have ever eaten.

[R W Burgess]

We had an eye opening experience today, for me anyway. We had been talking about visiting the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum while in Oklahoma City.

We managed to fit that in today. I was really surprised at the size of this museum. Much bigger than I expected. Along with normal cowboy memorabilia, there was a lot of Indian clothing, paintings, and artifacts to check out. The pictures depressed me somewhat as I feel ashamed of my own country for treating them like we did....and still do. Just the look on the faces of some chiefs tells the tale.

There were also a lot, I mean a lot, of cowboy movie star clothing, movie posters, guns and so forth on display. A very nice theater had continuous running short film of the early pictures (non-speaking) right through to the current TV/Movies that we see today. For instance, not only did we see Walter Brennan as a cowboy, but also as "The Real McCoys", complete with his shoes, clothing, and lunchbox. COOL!!!

I almost forgot, cowboy hero, Dale Robertson of "Tales of Wells Fargo" fame, was an Oklahoma native and got his "law" degree at Oklahoma City University. We learn something everyday.

There was a complete old west village display inside a darkened room that took one into each building that you're expect in an old west town. Very nice.

I guess we spend 4 hours at this museum, but 2 more days would be needed to take in everything.

This is a must see museum if you're ever in the area, believe me.

That will about do it guys. We're headed back east tomorrow.

See ya!

Wayne

[Guest THEHKP7M13]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting. I live off of "HISTORIC RT. 66" through Berwyn, IL.

[Richard Lichtfel]

The best way to take 66 is to join the Mother Road Society. They have maps and books available that will tell you all about 66, the changes that were made, and how to find some of the original roadways, bridges, and historical points of interest. It took us 5 days to go from downtown Chicago where 66 starts, to Oklahoma City. Most of the time the interstate was with-in sight. Beautiful trip. When you go to the Cowboy Hall of fame you should go across the street and see Don Boulton who has one of the finest collections of large brass cars in the world.

[Guest Bob Call]

Bill Stoneberg

I was born in Tulsa have lived in the Tulsa - Broken Arrow area most of my life and never knew Broken Arrow was known for italian restaurants. The only italian restaurant I know of in Broken Arrow is Benali's and you have to know where it is to find it, you can't locate it by the street address. Did you mean the town of Krebs, just east of McAlester off of US 69? Krebs was settled by italian immigrants in the late 1800's and has 3 execellent family owned and operated italian restaurants. In addition to diego red table wine they feature home brewed "Choc" beer.

[Guest THEHKP7M13]

If I remember and if there is ever a nice day I will snap afew pics of it along here for you.

[Guest Bob Call]

If anyone is considering driving all or any portion of what is left of old US 66, I would suggest that you get a copy of "Route 66: The Mother Road" by Michael Wallis. You can find it on amozon.com in both hard cover and paper back.

[Guest Hugh32]

A friend of mine and I took the trip in the summer of 1967 in his 1966 Chevrolet convertible. We started in our home town of Miller,Indiana. It was a trip to remember. We stopped to look at the "Giant Bees"-large plywood cutouts of the letter B and the "Baby Rattlers"-about 150 baby rattles, we ate buffalo burgers and saw a fantastic gun collection somewhere along the way. My fondest memory of the trip was the scarcity of traffic on that 2 lane blacktop. Two guys in their twenties with the top down headin' for the Golden State.

That was the year I was discharged from the Army after a tour of Vietnam. It was great to be cruisin' in America again!

[stock_steve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Bob Call</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If anyone is considering driving all or any portion of what is left of old US 66, I would suggest that you get a copy of "Route 66: The Mother Road" by Michael Wallis. You can find it on amozon.com in both hard cover and paper back. </div></div>

We had a set of video tapes also by Michael Wallis that really got us going and whet our appetites for our trip two summers ago.

We drove non-stop from CT to Chicago the first day (14 hours), and then took the next 10 days to drive as much of Route 66 as possible, ending up in Santa Monica, CA.

Two more highlights for us were staying at not one but two teepee motels along the way--one in Holbrook, AZ and the other in Rialto, CA. And not a teepee, but just as cool and vintage, we also stayed at the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari, NM.

[The Old Guy]

I did the "hot Rod " power tour in 2001 from Pontiac Mich to San bernadino in my 37 Buick coupe. The group ran mostly the interstate, but my friend and I ran all of rte 66 we could find.

We also did much of it in our 69 Sport Wagon on a trip with 2 of our Grandsons. The highlight of that trip was almost being caught in a tornado in Clinton oklahoma while we were going through the Rte 66 museum there.

[R W Burgess]

Thanks Hugh!

Most of you know that I was in California going through basic training for our country in 1967. I'm sorry to say that I was more interetsed in getting home, then touring the country side at that time. Then the woman thing got me into making a living and getting along in life.

I must say I'm making the most at lost time at this point in my life. My wife shakes her head at me as I strike up conversations with anyone within ear shot of me. I like to learn the behind the scenes info of the areas that I might be in.

Just asking that "one host" at the cowboy museum in

Oklahoma City about the "End of the Line" statue educated me greatly in the struggles of the American Indian and in how our country tried its best to push them to the sea on the west coast.

Some may call me nosy, but you'll never learn if you don't ask.

[novaman]

Wayne, I may have a photo of the end of the trail statue. I took it about 30 years when I was to OK. I'll lok tonight and post it if I find it.

I don't know if you ran across the info while there but unfortunately this country used germ "warfare" to help decrease the indian population by distributing blankets that were contaminated with TB. They say history repeats itself and I hope this is one place we never return to.

[Shop Rat]

novaman, they also all but eradicated the Appaloosa breed of horses to break the spirit of the Nez Perce tribe. One lone Army captain loved the breed and saved a few of them. I currently have one and my first horse was one. They are a great breed of horses. It would have been tragic to have them wiped out.

[Marty Roth]

Hi Y'all,--welcome back,

Many of our VMCCA Tours have incorporated parts of Route 66, and the AACA Founders Tour driving one lap of Arizona a few years back also drove a nice section from Holbrook, AZ west through Winslow, breaking off to travel south to Sedona (a beautiful drive down the canyons), visiting Scottsdale, Phoenix, after having started off in Tucson and visiting the Hon-Dah? Reservation Casino.

Another traveled 66 to Sky City -- love drivin our old cars -- see you all on the Chrome Glidden doin' the Blue Ridge next month.

Marty

[Guest Bob Call]

Hugh

The gun collection you recall is the J.M. Davis collection in Claremore, OK, right on highway 66. In 1967 it was in the Davis hotel. Mr. Davis willed the collection to the State of Oklahoma and it is now in its own building one block from the old hotel but still on 66.

Novaman

I believe the blankets and clothing distributed to some northern plains tribes were infected with smallpox not TB. Nearly wipped out several villages.

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"We'll all be drinkin' that free Bubble Up and eatin' that rainbow stew." Merle Haggard 1981

http://www.cmt.com/videos/merle-haggard/26454/rainbow-stew.jhtml